As a leader in sports and live entertainment, AEG has been on a mission since 2008 to minimize its environmental impact across its music, sports, ticketing, and real estate portfolios, embedding sustainability into the core of its business operations. Since then, the company has been recognized as an industry trailblazer in the introduction and implementation of sustainable practices focused on reducing its carbon footprint, waste consumption and water usage.

With a mission of inspiring others to affect change, this Earth Month, Erik Distler, AEG’s Vice President of Sustainability, convened and participated in numerous panel sessions aimed at facilitating insightful and productive conversations about the state of sustainability in sports and live entertainment.

On April 23, 2025, he hosted and moderated the fourth annual AEG Sustainability Insights Panel. The session brought together influential leaders who are shaping the future through action-driven sustainability efforts -- experts in sustainability, climate change, and policy -- and drove attention to the pressing issues facing the sports and live entertainment industry as it works to build scalable sustainability practices. Panelists shared their insights on how sports and live entertainment can continue to lead in sustainability while inspiring others to act.

Members of the panel included:

• Maggie Baird, Founder, Support+Feed -- Mother of Grammy Award-winning artists Billie Eilish and Finneas, Support+Feed is committed to mitigating climate change and increasing food security by driving global demand, acceptance, and accessibility of plant-based food.
• Becky Dale, VP, Sustainability, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games – As LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, approaches the challenge of navigating the complexities of bringing the Games of Los Angels and Southern California, Dale is helping to ensure they bring a broad coalition of stakeholders together to ensure they deliver lasting equitable benefits.
• Mary Micevych Jerome, VP, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, United Nations Foundation -- Micevych Jerome leads the Foundation-wide strategy for revenue growth and philanthropic engagement. Mary’s prior experience includes managing the first hip hop shows at Carnegie Hall in partnership with Jay Z and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation within her role at the United Way of New York City.
• Claire O’Neill, Co-Founder & CEO, A Greener Future – O’Neill is a renowned figure and leading voice for sustainability and live events and entertainment industry. She established A Greener Future in 2005 and has worked with numerous world-leading events, venues and artists including Massive Attack, The 1975, American Express Presents BST Hyde Park, The O2, HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant, and HM the Queen’s Funeral, among others.

To promote best practices and the enormous potential of creative industries to act as a catalyst for change, on April 8, Distler spoke at Climate Week Los Angeles, where organizations, policy makers, companies and innovators from across Los Angles convened to discuss climate change solutions. Distler participated in a panel, Creative Forces for Change: Workforce Development in the Green Transition, which explored the critical role of workforce development in driving sustainability within the $7 trillion global green economy—particularly across the arts and culture sector -- and how the city’s creative industries are helping to shape a more sustainable future for all.

Additionally, on April 15, Distler participated in the Music Sustainability Alliance’s 2025 Summit, which looked to empower the music business and artists to leverage their platform to tackle the climate crisis. Distler joined the panel session, Waste Not, Play On: Tackling the Trash Problem, to discuss the live music industry’s reliance on single-use materials and the urgent need to reduce waste. The panel session explored the scale of the problem, debunked common myths, and offered practical solutions to help create a more sustainable future for live events.

To learn more about AEG’s sustainability activities, click here.

AEG

AEG

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which with its affiliates owns, manages or consults with more than 120 preeminent venues around the world including The O2 Arena, the Sprint Center and the Mercedes-Benz Arenas;   AEG Presents, one of the largest live music companies in the world dedicated to producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Sports, the world’s largest operator of sports franchises and high-profile sporting events;   AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships; and AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues and  sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, AXS.com ticketing platform, AXS cable television channel and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.

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